Computer program decodes dreams, finds similar brain activity patterns for objects seen while asleep or awake

By Stephen Ornes, 14:52 PM April 18, 2013

Computers don’t dream — but they can help us understand how we do.

In a recent experiment, a computer program successfully identified some contents of people’s dreams. The program compared people’s brain activity when they were both awake and asleep. It identified that seeing a certain object produced a particular pattern of brain activity. And it found that pattern was similar for an object whether it was seen in waking life or dreamy slumber.